Paris Fashion Week: enhancing simplicity

What types of clothes deserve to be shown on a catwalk? The question torments all designers. Some have chosen their side, believing that experimentation is law; others assume the responsibility of presenting a portable wardrobe, into which everyone can project themselves. An antagonism illustrated, during this fall-winter 2024-2025 women’s fashion week which takes place in Paris until March 5, by the Saint Laurent and Dior fashion shows, each at one end of the spectrum, on Tuesday February 27. In the following days, other brands took a less clear-cut approach and tried to imagine the dream wardrobe of a woman firmly anchored in reality.

“As always, she gets up just before the alarm rings, as always she looks at the time and smiles, but turns off before the ringing. She doesn’t want her child to wake up. Not yet. » At the Undercover fashion show, it’s the poem Observation of an active woman, composed and read by Wim Wenders, which serves as the soundtrack. The narration of an ordinary day of a single mother constitutes a sound packaging in keeping with the models who arrive barefoot, as if jumping out of bed; others carry a shopping bag or shopping bag to work. The graceful silhouettes adapt to the circumstances, day or night, office or party outfits.

Each Jun Takahashi garment is structured in panels of different fabrics: a beige cashmere cardigan is paved with large squares of ivory silk; tufts of golden strips spring from denim pants; a long lace veil floats on the back of a navy wool coat which itself seems to be embedded in a white poplin shirt. We never quite know where the limits of clothing lie, or what exactly we are looking at. By mutually colonizing each other, simple pieces – peacoat, jeans, Perfecto, Chino – avoid monotony, the veils that escape from the collars or sleeves shield them from gravity. All that remains is beauty.

In the 1960s, during the time of its founder André, Courrèges dressed young, active women who needed to be comfortable in their outfits, as opposed to high fashion clients confined to restrictive cocktail dresses. With Nicolas Di Felice, this mantra is still relevant today: Courrèges is aimed at those who want to dress themselves without thinking too much or giving up style. “In the current context, I wanted to create a soft, enveloping collection. I started it by wrapping a large silk stole around my neck, like a caress, in an upward movement. The context is so heavy, I wanted clothes that pulled upwards”explains the designer.

He imagined dresses draped at an angle where the fabric swirls around the body, goes up on the shoulder and comes down on the opposite arm; little sleeveless hooded dresses that stretch the silhouette; Perfectos whose XXL collars unfold in the air. Trimmed feathers are embroidered vertically on a skirt, like bristling hairs on the flesh. A dose of sensuality (” a chill “says the designer) infuses this effective collection: some models parade with their hand stuck in a central pocket of their dress, placed just at the level of the pubis, leaving doubt as to the way in which they occupy their five fingers.

Sociological study

Julien Dossena, who has worked at Rabanne since 2013, sees clothing as a perfect field of sociological study. “ I look at women a lot in the street and in the metro, especially when they go to work in the morning. I like to see how personalities are expressed through clothing and the associations they make. A stole thrown hastily over the shoulders can say a lot of things about a woman’s life., he explains. The forty-year-old transcribes this observation of everyday life in a rich wardrobe, with, for example, checked men’s pants combined with a grandfather’s cardigan, to which we add a pea coat.

THE sleeves of a jumpsuit tied around the waist reveal a floral lining while sections of a masculine shirt escape from an extra-large leather jacket. Julien Dossena does not forget the essence of the brand, namely the metallic mesh, signature of Paco Rabanne, which we find on skirts with floral patterns, or the leather and metal associations which nestle on the belts or jewelry. “ I looked at photos of looks coming out of the Paris shows that Japanese magazines published in the 1990s. It resulted in an insane mix of clothes and prints, yet perfectly combined. »

At Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry has been discreetly building ready-to-wear since 2019 that he wants to be as recognizable as his spectacular haute couture pieces acclaimed by a myriad of celebrities on the red carpets. If the golden jeweled dresses, the resin corsets and the haute couture abdominal breastplates “sound » Schiaparelli, this wardrobe, designed for everyday life, should not disappoint fans of the brand. “When you close your eyes and think of home, of course you think of whimsical creations and Lady Gaga. I wanted to show that we also master the vocabulary of ready-to-wear”explains the designer.

The daily life of a Schiaparelli client undoubtedly has little to do with that of most women, but isn’t the role of fashion also to make people dream? Here, we’re dreaming of a loose black velvet suit, with a short peacoat – with gold “nipple” buttons, all the same! –, in an evening dress draped in khaki jersey, in a jacket and skirt set in faded denim or even with a black minidress entirely embroidered with sequins worn over wide wool pants. “I wanted to show something real and wearable”concludes the Texan.

Soft leather pants

On the side of New Yorkers from The Row, we observe attempts to spice up (a little) the calm and tasteful luxury that has always characterized the brand. The Olsen sisters, specialists in large beige double-faced cashmere coats and black virgin wool suits that are perfectly too big, are broadening their horizons. The everyday trench becomes voluminous like a ball gown; the pants are covered with big stripes; a thick belt with red pompoms closes their fluffy coats, and their evening dresses with frayed edges are worn with sneakers for running. Basic, evening and sportswear mix joyfully and skillfully.

For Dries Van Noten, today’s active woman decides alone and dares everything. She is free to cut her bangs herself (and a little crookedly) if she wants, like the models he sends down the catwalk. Or play with colors and materials, mixing wide candy pink pants with a sea green fleece jacket, a pine green draped skirt with a honey-colored loose knit turtleneck sweater. There are also mixes of comfortable and more sophisticated pieces in this very complete wardrobe, like this gray cotton hooded sweatshirt paired with a straight skirt entirely stitched with shiny sequins. “ This collection is not so much about fashion as it is about style”adds Van Noten, who shows here a beautiful, modern and desirable wardrobe.

After a messy and complicated past season, Isabel Marant decided to do Isabel Marant again, that is to say, to dress the active and relaxed Parisian with an attractive everyday wardrobe. “It’s a collection very faithful to our image; we went back to our essentials”, assumes the designer, accompanied by her artistic director, Kim Bekker. For next winter, brand aficionados will find their bearings with enveloping wool capes, patinated leather jackets, cable knit sweaters and pants in soft leather or animal print. As for accessories, the talisman-style jewelry, the messenger bags and the soft boots with low heels are just right. “You have to be comfortable to move forward in life”, adds Isabel Marant. And if the comfortable thing also has the good taste of being stylish, the bet is won.